


One Person

by PrehistoricUnicorn



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2018-08-19 08:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8197975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrehistoricUnicorn/pseuds/PrehistoricUnicorn
Summary: Marinette is frustrated keeping all her secrets to herself, and Tikki proposes a solution





	1. Marinette and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Marinette collapsed on her bed. It had been a long day. She’d woken up with an awful headache, that had persisted throughout the day. Then there had been classes, during which Chloe managed to aggravate her a total number of twelve times, including tripping her over once.

Just before school ended however, her day got worse. An akuma had attacked nearby, and she’d had to ditch class to go to the ‘bathroom’. All the way through the fight Chat Noir had been flirting his head off, and she’d just not been in the mood.

When she finally cleansed the akuma and changed back to Marinette, Alya had spotted her and decided to interrogate her about not returning to class. She’d had to lie, saying she was suddenly taken ill and had to go to the nurse’s office.

When she eventually got home her parents had worried about being back so late, and she’d had to tell them the half-truth that she had been caught up in the akuma attack.

To top it off, she had an assignment she had to finish by the next day, that she’d barely started. In short, Marinette was not having a good day.

As soon as she’d closed the trap-door to her room, Tikki zoomed out of her bag and started trying to cheer her up.

Marinette sighed. She loved Tikki, but sometimes the little kwami just didn’t seem to get how stressful her life could be.

After a few minutes of her not answering, Tikki realised something was up.

“Marinette?” she asked, concern clear in her high pitched little voice. “Are you alright?”

Marinette sighed again and sat up, so she was facing her friend.

“I don’t know, Tikki,” she replied, “It’s just, sometimes I feel so frustrated, with all this pressure on me, and I because have to keep lying to everyone. Sometimes I’m just about ready to explode, with all these secrets, this massive load on my shoulders. The worst part is that I can never talk to anyone about what I’m going through.”

Tikki looked at her anxiously. “You can talk to me.”

Marinette sighed for a third time. “I guess so.” Was all she had to say in reply, before she got started on her homework.

For the next hour or so, while Marinette worked on assignment, Tikki didn’t say a single word. This bothered her a bit, because Tikki usually acted like a cheerleader when it came to this sort of thing, but she was too tired to say anything.

Eventually she packed up and went down to dinner. When she got back, Tikki was waiting for her.

“Marinette, I’ve been thinking,” she began, and the girl in question regarded her curiously. Was this why she had been so quiet while Marinette studied? Intrigued, she waited for the Kwami to continue.

“I know I’ve always made it really clear that you shouldn’t share your identity with anyone, but, if keeping this secret is bothering you this much, I think I can make an exception.”

Marinette was shocked, to say the least. Since day one Tikki had warned her that no one must find out, but now she was changing her mind? Had she somehow entered Wonderland without realising it?

Seeing her apparent loss of words, Tikki continued.

“I’m not saying to shout to the whole world that you’re Ladybug, but find a confident. One person, who you know you can trust, someone who you can get everything off your chest to, someone who won’t tell a single living soul, because, no matter what Marinette, this secret _must not spread any further than that_.”

Marinette felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders already.

“Thank you.” She breathed.

Tikki smiled.

“You’re welcome, Marinette. I’ll leave it up to you, who you want to tell, I trust your judgement. Just, think carefully and choose wisely.”

Marinette was elated.

“One person?” she laughed, “I think I can make it work."


	2. Brainstorming

Deciding on a single person to tell her secret to was a lot harder than Marinette had originally thought it would be. She ended up running even later for school than normal, because she hadn’t been able to sleep thinking about it, thinking the same thoughts, over and over again.

The first person she had come up with had been Alya, her funny and quick witted bestie, who was great at calming her nerves and always had a plan. Quickly, though, she realised this might not be a good idea.

Even if Alya did not immediately out her to the world, which she somehow didn’t fully doubt, she barely left her in peace as it was. If she found out Marinette’s secret, she would definitely have an unlimited supply of questions. The _last_ thing Marinette needed was more stress, so, for the time being she ruled Alya off the list.

Her parents, she supposed, had a right to know, and she knew they would both be incredibly proud and supportive. But Tikki had said very clearly; only one person, and she couldn’t tell one of her parents without telling the other, it just wouldn’t be fair to them. It was one thing to keep a something from her parents, but completely different to force them to keep things from each other.

Besides, they weren’t exactly _good_ at keeping secrets. She knew her father wouldn’t be able to resist dropping hints, probably in the form of really bad dad jokes, and her mother, her mother had basically told Adrien about her crush on him, the _one_ time he had come over.

Hmm, Adrien… Here was another option. She knew he was the most perfect person she had ever met, so he would never reveal her secret to anyone, right? She had been getting to know him a lot better recently. He was caring and thoughtful, so he’d know when she needed someone to talk to. He had a funny side to him, so he would be able to cheer her up if she had a particularly bad day. He was loyal and brave and…

Abruptly, Marinette closed off this train of thought. This was the most important decision she was going to have to make for a long time yet. She _couldn’t_ allow herself to be biased by her crush, even if all those things _were_ true.

Then, of course, there was the obvious choice, her brain told her, even if she tried to ignore it.

The one person who would really get it; her partner in crime, probably her best friend, and the only person with a secret to equal hers.

Marinette knew Chat Noir should be the first to know her identity, but really, she argued to herself, she didn’t even know that much about him. She didn’t know what other commitments he had, or how far away she lived, or even how old he was. She needed to tell someone who she knew would be there when she needed to talk, someone who would be there to help her at the drop of a hat. But, then again, the irksome part of her brain thought, when had Chat Noir not been there for her?

Anyway, she told herself, she was comfortable with the relationship they already had, and she knew that if she told him he'd want to tell her too. She didn’t think she was ready to know Chat Noir full time, and, judging by what little she knew of him, he would be too large a personality to spend too much time around. What if, once he knew, he flirted with her even more?!!

What if……… what if... he didn’t?

 

All these thoughts went around and around in Marinette’s head so many times, that, by the time she got to her first class that morning, her delusional mind was telling that even _Chloe_ would be a good idea.

She quickly regreted thinking that, however, when, at break, she heard the screams and realised Chloe had caused _another_ akuma attack.

 

 


	3. A Good Idea

_“Pound it!”_

_Beep, beep, beep_

_“So long, My lady.”_

_“Chat, wait!”_

_“Yes?”_

_“…”_

_Beep, beep, beep_

_“… never mind.”_

~~~

 

Marinette sighed heavily. She had almost decided, but she’d changed her mind at the last second.

At the moment, Tikki’s solution was causing more problems than it solved.

Said kwami collapsed in her hands, and she rooted around in her purse, coming up with an emergency cookie.

She watched as Tikki nibbled on it, swallowed, and looked up at Marinette with curious eyes.

“I thought you were going to tell him?” she asked, wiping crumbs off her mouth.

With the hand that wasn’t holding Tikki, Marinette grasped at her face.

“I thought I was too!” she said, starting to pace, “I just…. don’t want things to change.

Tikki floated up in front of Marinette’s face as she continued to rant.

“I like things with him the way they are right now, and I think if I tell him, he’ll get the wrong impression and, I don’t know Tikki, I just can’t do it.”

Tikki hovered next to her partner anxiously.

“Marinette,” she said, “are you still sure you want to share your secret? Ever since I suggested it you seem even more tense than before.”

Marinette stopped her pacing, and threw her hands up into the air.

“I do, it’s just, if I don’t make up my mind soon I think I’m going to explode!” she groaned dramatically.

Tikki giggled. “Well,” she said, crossing her arms, “we better get back to school before anyone starts to worry.”

Marinette nodded, and Tikki dove into her purse. As rounded the corner, she spotted a familiar face ducking out of an alleyway further up the street and walking in the direction of the school.

That’s funny, what was Adrien doing up this end of town? Then again, the akuma had started off right by the school, maybe he had gotten caught up in it somehow? People ended up in all sorts of weird places when Hawkmoth was involved.

Suddenly Tikki popped up out of her purse.

“What about Adrien?” she whispered excitedly. Marinette pulled her behind a tree.

“You really think it’s a good idea?” she whispered back. She had thought of him, but dismissed the idea, not wanting to be swayed by the MASSIVE crush she had on him. However, If _Tikki_ thought she should….

Tikki nodded.

“Trust me; it’s definitely a good idea.” She said with a knowing smile that Marinette didn’t quite get.

Decision made, she set her shoulders, and ran after the boy in question, Tikki flying back into her purse.

“Adrien, wait!”

Adrien turned to her surprised.

“Marinette,” he smiled when he saw her, “did you get caught up in the akuma battle too?”

Marinette stopped and caught her breath.

“Sort of,” she replied nervously. It was now or never. She took a deep breath.

“Actually, I…. I wanted to tell you something.”

He nodded, still smiling. “Sure, what is it?”

She bit her lip, and twisted her hands together.

“Can you… keep a secret?”

 

 


	4. Can You Keep a Secret?

“Can you… keep a secret?”

Adrien nodded, not quite sure where this was going. What big secret would make Marinette this nervous? She’d gotten over being nervous around him _months_ ago.

She smiled hesitantly, and gestured to a nearby bench. Bewildered, he sat down next to her.

“So” she started, then paused, apparently not knowing how to continue.

“Sorry,” she said, “I never thought I’d tell this to anyone, so I’m not really sure how to go about it. It’s just, I’ve been so stressed recently that I needed someone to confine in.”

Adrien waited patiently, finding himself even more intrigued.

“Alright, here it is.” She breathed in.

“I’m Ladybug.”

Adrien’s jaw dropped.

This was amazing! His Lady had been Marinette all along! His face lit up into a crazy grin. He couldn’t believe it; after all this time, he’d finally found her, the love of his life! She was finally telling him! He opened his mouth to speak-

Wait… she was telling _him_?

He swallowed, not quite able to explain the feeling of dread that had begun to grow inside him.

“Marinette, why are you telling me this?”

She looked confused.

“I just told you Adrien,” she said, brow furrowed, “I’ve been really stressed and I needed- “

He cut her off.

“No, no, I know that, I mean, why tell _me_?” he clarified, “Why not tell, say, Chat Noir?”

She scoffed.

“That silly kitty?”

His heart sank. She sighed.

“Much as I love him,” she said, and he looked up hopefully, “that reveal would lead to his reveal, and I don’t think I would be able to put up with him all the time.”

His heart sank down even further.

“Besides,” she continued a little wistfully, “I don’t want to get his hopes up. He’s been chasing me for so long, I… I don’t want to hurt him.”

His heart hit rock bottom, and smashed into tiny pieces. Trust her to break it in the most selfless way possible. He looked away.

“Anyway,” she said, shaking herself out of her reverie, “Do you want to meet my Kwami?”

He wanted to tell her _so_ much. All he had to do was say a few choice words, and there would be no more secrets between them, just like he had wanted from the start. But this wasn’t about him. This was about being there for Marinette, and to do that, he needed to keep his secret to himself.

Besides, he thought sadly, she didn’t want to know.

Adrien put his feelings aside, masking his heartbreak with a smile he was far too used to putting on. Looking into her eyes again, he answered her.

“What’s a Kwami?”

 


	5. Sad Kitty

Chat Noir stared after the girl running over the rooftops in front of him. Ever since the day he found out her identity, he hadn’t been able to think of much else.

His friendship with Marinette had grown rapidly with the reveal of her secret. The closer he got to her, the more he was drawn to her, but the more he was drawn to her, the worse he felt about the fact that she didn’t seem to love him back.

It was taking a toll on him, both mentally and physically.

He couldn’t stop obsessing over everything she had said that day, and it was beginning to show in the bags under his eyes and his constantly furrowed brow.

In short, he was having a rough time of it.

Chat Noir was so deep in thought that he almost ran right off a building. He caught himself at the last minute, but not without escaping Ladybug’s notice.

When he got back up to the roof, she was waiting for him, arms crossed. He swallowed.

“Okay, what is it? What’s wrong?” she asked expectantly.

“Nothing, Mar- My Lady.” came his response. He cringed. He wasn’t exactly doing a good job of hiding his feelings.

Ladybug raised an eyebrow.

“You look terrible, you’re distracted every time I see you, and now you fall off a building.” She said, putting her hands on her hips. “That’s not nothing.”

He looked away sadly. She always seemed to be able to tell exactly how _he_ felt.

Her expression softened.

“If there’s something wrong, you can tell me, Chat Noir.”

A distant part of him laughed at the irony. Not being able to tell her _was_ the thing that was wrong, and he couldn’t exactly tell her _that_.

So what could he tell her?

Hoping to disguise some of the pain he felt, he sighed dramatically.

“Just some problems in my other life,” he said, sweeping a hand across his face, “nothing for you to worry about.”

She didn’t look convinced, but let the matter drop. How was it that she could see right through him, but could never see through his mask?

After a moment, Chat Noir broke the silence.

“Come on,” he said, “we better keep going.”

Ladybug nodded, and ran off along the buildings.

Chat Noir stared after the girl running over the rooftops in front of him, and allowed himself a small smile.

For her sake, it was all worth it.


	6. The Very Hungry Kwami

Tikki looked around. Marinette and Adrien were distracted, good. She quickly nipped into Adrien’s bag, startling the kwami in there.

“Tikki!” Plagg yelped, almost dropping the cheese he was eating.

“Shhh!!!” she hushed him, and stuck her head out again to make sure they hadn’t heard.

Plagg munched on his cheese.

“I haben’t seen dou por a while.” He said with his mouth full.

“And you probably won’t for a while either,” Tikki whispered back, “unless Adrien and Marinette work things out.”

She flew back and forth across the small space, mimicking pacing.

“I don’t understand,” she sighed, “I was sure Adrien would tell her his identity the minute she shared hers, and a whole lot of problems would be solved at once. Now he looks tortured and she doesn’t have a clue. What’s stopping him?!”

Plagg swallowed his mouthful of camembert and yawned.

“It’s probably something to do with the fact that he thinks she doesn’t like Chat Noir.” He said lazily.

Tikki spun to face him, mid-pace.

“What do you mean?!!” she demanded.

“You know;” Plagg said, rolling his eyes, “ _Oh no, Plagg, I could never tell her. It’s bad enough that she has to deal with me when there’s an akuma, I don’t want to force her see me more than she already has to. Bla, bla, bla, she’s so amazing. Bla, bla, bla, not even camembert will help. Bla, bla, bla._ ”

Tikki rubbed her temples and went back to pacing.

“These kids,” she muttered, “how many times must we tell them that they’re the same with or without the mask?!”

Plagg shrugged, taking the last bite of his cheese.

“What do you want to do about it?” he asked.

Tikki skidded to a stop suddenly.

“We want her to find out his identity, right? What if he were to transform back to Adrien right in front of her?” she exclaimed.

Plagg scoffed.

“One problem,’’ he said, swallowing his mouthful, “I’ve suggested it, even before she told him, but he _apparently_ ‘respects her too much to force himself on her’.”

He paused for a moment then, as an afterthought, added; “He also apparently doesn’t know what that phrase normally refers to.”

It was at this moment that Plagg realised he had run out of camembert. He sunk dejectedly to the bottom of the bag. Tikki rolled her eyes. Cheese was _apparently_ the only thing he ever thought about.

“What I meant was,” she tried again, “What if a _certain_ hungry Kwami was _too_ tired to keep him transformed for as long as normal.”

Plagg perked up.

“Solving our problem _and_ giving me an excuse to ask for more cheese.” He said slowly, “Ooh that’s good. I forgot you had a devious side.”

Tikki smiled.

“I try not to show that part of myself in front of Marinette. She doesn’t need any encouragement.” She said, then got more serious. “So what do you say?”

Plagg grinned.

“I’m in.”


	7. Close Encounters

“Pound it!”

Chat Noir’s ring beeped and he looked down, shocked to discover he only had the main pad of his paw print left. Hadn’t he only used his power a minute ago?!!!

“Got to go!” he yelled in Ladybug’s direction before sprinting out of the alley way and behind a tree.

Right on cue, he was enveloped in sparkles and Plagg flopped into his hands.

“So hungry… need camembert…” the little cat groaned dramatically.

Looking around, Adrien let out a sigh of relief before turning back to the Kwami in his grasp.

“Cut it out, Plagg,” he frowned, “that was much too close.”

Plagg shrugged.

“Whatever,” he said, “Camembert is more important.”

“This is serious!” Adrien hissed, “This is the third time this week that you’ve almost made me reveal myself to Ladybug!”

The Kwami put on a completely innocent face that lasted about half a second before he began to sniff the air for cheese.

Adrien watched as Plagg let out a shriek of delight and zoomed towards his bag, where he had hidden a box of camembert earlier. He quickly grabbed the wriggling Kwami by the tail and held him at eye level.

“Do you even care?!” he demanded, “Why does this keep happening?!”

Plagg shrugged.

“It’s probably because all your sulking is making me tired.” he suggested, before phasing through his captor’s fingers and diving back into the bag.

Adrien looked at the spot where Plagg had disappeared dejectedly. Why wasn’t life as simple as his Kwami seemed to think it was?

He sighed.

“It’s just,” he started, “I don’t know what I would do if she found out who I was.”

Plagg poked his head out the bag, a tiny little frown on his face.

“Would it really be that bad if she did?” He said, and for once in his life he actually looked serious.

For a moment Adrien paused. Would it? He couldn’t keep it a secret forever, could he? No, he decided, one way or another she would find out eventually, why not now? He’d already come to terms with the fact that she’d never really love him back.

Even so, he didn’t want her to outright hate him, and she’d as much as said she didn’t want to have Chat Noir around, and he couldn’t bear it if she became distant with him again. Add to that the fact that he’d been lying to her for weeks about not knowing her identity, that wasn’t going to win him any points…

Stop, he told himself. These were the same thoughts he had been going over again and again since he found out Ladybug’s identity. He needed to give it a rest or they would drive him crazy.

Adrien grabbed his bag and swung it onto his shoulder.

When he got home, he would make a list of pros and cons of telling her. When he got home, he would decide once and for all if he would go ahead with it. Whatever he decided was final, _no_ take backs, _no_ changing his mind, and _no_ chickening out-

“Adrien?”

 


	8. Red Pill Blue Pill

Adrien jumped about a metre in the air. Quickly recovering, he spun around to find Marinette standing just behind him, looking a little confused.

“Whoa, you scared me!” he said, clutching his heart.

Marinette grinned.

“I can see that.” she smirked, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I, um…” Adrien stammered, fishing for an excuse, “I… came to find you.”

Her brow furrowed, and she looked up at him with a worried expression.

“So you’re saying you went straight towards where an akuma victim was attacking, needlessly putting yourself at risk, just so that you could talk to me?” she clarified.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and nodded. Now that he thought about it, it probably hadn’t been the best thing to say just there. Oh well, too late to turn back.

Marinette crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Please tell me you at least have a good reason.” she asked incredulously.

Adrien averted his gaze.  _Definitely_ not his best excuse.

“I was, um, wondering if you wanted to study together on the weekend…” he mumbled. Okay, now he was just making it worse. That was a terrible reason to look for someone in the middle of a battle!

Marinette seemed to agree with him on that one. In fact, she was starting to look angry.

“Seriously Adrien?!” she all but yelled at him, “This is not why I told you my identity!”

He stared at the ground.

“I’m sorry.” he said meekly.

She put her hands on her hips.

“I don’t think you really are!” she announced. “I’ve noticed you hanging around akuma attacks ever since I told you my identity. Don’t you realise how dangerous that is? It’s bad enough that I have to deal with Alya chasing after all the akumas, but I thought you at least would be sensible enough to stay away. I have powers to protect me, but you, you have nothing!”

He kept his eyes on the ground. She was right. There was nothing useful about him. He had nothing… was nothing.

In the distance, someone screamed. Marinette groaned.

“Look,” she said, “I’ve got to go. Just… stay out of this, okay?”

Adrien watched her run towards the screams, before looking back at the cat poking his head out of Adrien’s backpack.

Plagg’s face held an expression with a very clear message.

_Well? What are you waiting for?!_

Adrien’s hands closed into fists. If he didn’t tell her now, he might never work up the courage. He drew in a deep breath, then called to her.

“Marinette, wait!”

She turned around and folded her arms, impatience clear in every fibre of her being.

Adrien took another deep breath, and walked towards her. At a metre and a half away, he lost his nerve and stared down at her feet, not daring to look her in the eye. His hands were shaking.

After a couple of seconds, he saw her feet pick up as she began to walk away. With a final burst of courage, he lunged forward and grabbed her wrist.

“Let me go, Adrien.” she said curtly.

“Ok,” he almost whispered, “but there’s something I have to show you first."

He finally looked up into her eyes.

Now or never, he thought, and he called out to his Kwami.

“Plagg, claws out!”


	9. A Ticking Bomb

Marinette’s head was about to explode. What had just happened? Was this some sort of weird dream? Maybe she should get Tikki to pinch her… no. Bad idea; that little bug could pinch hard. Instead she covered her eyes and started counting.

One…

…two…

…three…

…four…

…five…

…six…

…seven…

…eight…

…nine…

…ten.

Taking a deep breath, she peeked through her fingers.

Chat Noir was still there, a deeply concerned expression on his face.

“Marinette?” he asked shakily, “please say something?”

Marinette let out a shriek and collapsed against a nearby wall, wide eyes staring straight ahead.

This was not happening! Why was this happening? How long had this been happening for and why did she only know about it now?

She snapped out of her thoughts as she received a tiny yet powerful slap to the cheek. Startled, she focused in on the little red blur who was hovering a short distance in front of her face, and let out a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding.

“Marinette,” Tikki was saying, “I know it’s confusing, but right now you have to trust him, you are the only ones who can stop this akuma.”

“The akuma attack!” Marinette gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth.

She looked back at Chat Noi-Adrien. He was still looking at her with a mixture of confusion, concern and terror, his hands clutched awkwardly in front of him. He perked up a little when he caught her eye, leaning forward with a sort of nervous expectancy.

Marinette steeled herself, clenching her fists. Whatever this mess they’d gotten into was, now was not the time. Now was the time to clean up after Hawkmoth, not their own crazy web of secrets and emotions. This was still her partner in front of her, no matter what revelations had just happened. She could still trust him with her life, no matter how confused she was.

“Tikki, spots on.” Marinette whispered, closing her eyes as the magic washed over her.

Ladybug pushed herself upright, and felt a boost of energy. Clearing her mind, she unhooked her yoyo from her waist. As Marinette, she would have time to freak out later. Right now, Paris needed Ladybug.

She looked back to where Chat Noir, her partner, stood waiting.

“Come on,” she said, “We’ve got work to do.”

With that Ladybug threw out her yoyo, and swung out across the city.

This bomb was going to have to wait a little longer to explode.


	10. Trust Fall

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

Whew, glad that’s, over, Ladybug thought. Now she could get back to doing whatever she’d been doing before. What was it again?

Her eyes fixed on her partner, who was apparently in the middle of quietly backing away.

Ah yes, that’s what. She’d been having a mental breakdown about the fact that Adrien had been Chat Noir this whole time, and hadn’t told her! She considered melting into a pile of goo, but now that the shock had worn off a bit, Ladybug was angry. She was going to _murder_ him. Her posture stiffened, and her features fixed themselves into a glower. Chat Noir visibly paled, but still managed to raise his fist with a weak smile.

“Pound it?”

She lunged at him, and he yelped, quickly jumping away.

“How could you?!” she hollered, chasing him across the rooftops, “how could you know all this time and never tell me?!”

“I’m sorry!” he shrieked, frantically looking behind him as he ran for his life on all fours, “Please don’t hurt meeee!”

Ladybug had every intention of beating him senseless, but unfortunately for her, that very instant she transformed back. Right in the middle of jumping over an alleyway.

All other thoughts fled her mind, as she plummeted towards the ground in the most terrifying second of her life (or at least her week). Then, just as suddenly as it had started, her fall stopped. Breathing deeply, she looked up to see Chat Noir’s arms around her, green eyes gazing down at her with the most worried expression she had ever seen from them.

Any murderous intentions she had left were gone in that instant. This was her partner! There was no one she had ever trusted more.

Burying her face in his chest, she allowed herself to be lowered to the ground.

As soon as they touched down, Chat Noir jumped back and prepared to run again. Marinette quickly grabbed his tail, calling out.

“Wait, please!”

He stopped, turning back to face her hesitantly, and met her eyes.

“Marinette, I’m so sorry,” he babbled, looking like he was barely holding back tears, “I know I should have told you sooner, I was just so scared that you hated me, I mean Chat Noir me, and I liked spending time with you so much I just–”

He cut off as Marinette tackled him with a hug. For a moment he just stood there, shocked, then he slowly wrapped his arms around her. It was only several minutes later, when his ring flashed for a final time, and his Chat Noir suit dissolved, that Marinette drew back again.

“I should really be the one apologising,” she said, staring at her feet, more than a little ashamed, “I should have just trusted you, I mean Chat Noir, in the first place. The truth is I was scared that things would change between us. I know now that you would never let me down. I’m sorry Chat Noir.”

She looked up, and saw him grinning at her.

“A-paw-logy accepted, My Lady.”

Marinette laughed with joy. It was good to have her partner back to his usual pun loving self.

She wouldn’t have him any other way.


	11. The Final Curtain

The warning bell rang, and Adrien and Marinette walked up the stairs together, chatting animatedly.

After the fateful day that Adrien had revealed his identity, they had gone back to Marinette’s house for a long overdue talk. A week had passed and now they were closer than ever; rarely seen apart at school and finding any excuse to hang out besides.

At the entrance to the classroom, they found Alya waiting for them, arms crossed, with a look of sheer determination on her face. Not far behind her was Nino, looking a little abashed.

Adrien and Marinette stopped, giving each other questioning glances.

“Alya…” ventured Marinette, “Everything okay?”

Alya exploded.

“No everything is not okay! Over the past couple of weeks, you two have become closer than I even knew was possible for two human beings to be without melting into one person! Now, I’ve been really patient with you, Marinette,” (yeah right) “and haven’t asked too many questions,” (please) “but girl, my patience is wearing thin.”

She took a deep breath and continued, “That is why we have decided…”

At this point Nino took a step forward.

“Actually, this was all her idea dude, I just kinda got dragged in.”

Alya shot him a look, and he backed up, hands raised defensively.

“ _We_ have decided, it’s time for an intervention.”

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other, confused.

“Um, Alya, where are you going with this?”

Alya rubbed her forehead, tutting to herself.

“I’m talking about; when are you guys going to get together?!!”

Both immediately turned red, looking anywhere but each other.

“Alya!” Marinette hissed, glaring daggers at her friend, but all she got in response was a satisfied smile.

Adrien cleared his throat, and Marinette timidly looked up at him.

“I was waiting for a better time to ask you,” he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, “but would you like to come see a movie with me sometime?”

Time stood still for a second, and she wondered if this could really be happening. Could it really be possible that the boy of her dreams had finally asked her out? Gazing into his eyes though, she realised that this meant more to her than any simple crush ever could. The boy in front of her was not just the boy of her dreams; he was the love of her life.

“I’d love to.” she breathed, and watched as his face broke into a gigantic smile.

Distantly, she registered Alya and Nino cheering, but in that moment nothing could distract her, as she looked up at the one person she knew would always be there for her, and beamed.

Fin.


End file.
